Chapter 9
NINE
“ W hat’s going on?” Naya clung to the rope, favoring her right leg. They weren’t moving, and the ashen color on Zack’s face indicated something was wrong.
Naya’s nerves still tingled, and she had to tell herself to breathe.
In and out. Her ankle throbbed, and her pulse tapped a steady rhythm against the inside of her foot.
She hadn’t been able to deny Zack’s partner had needed help first. But when the distance had grown and taken Zack farther away to safety, Naya couldn’t help the tremors that wracked her body. What if he didn’t come back for her, and she stayed trapped on this mountain?
But he had come back.
She’d almost shouted for joy when he’d come into view on his descent.
And the way he’d wrapped her in his embrace. So gentle yet firm when he’d rubbed his thumb across her face. In that moment she’d frozen. Unable to do anything but stare. If she were honest, she liked being held by him. The reality of safety in that moment. But it was a fleeting desire. A vapor that would prove futile to cling to. There one moment, gone the next.
Naya shifted her gaze to peer over the edge. That was a mistake. The drop to the ravine floor covered with trees and rocks sent her head spinning. If her shirt hadn’t snagged on a rock, giving her time to grab on to the edge, she would be dead.
A shiver worked its way down her spine, and her teeth chattered.
Sure, if she hadn’t stopped her fall, there would have been joy waiting on the other side, meeting her Savior face-to-face. But that hadn’t stopped her body’s survival skills kicking into full gear with the fight or flight response.
“There’s a brush fire.” Zack grimaced. “My team’s all hands on deck. When they can, they’ll bring us up. But for now, we’re safe here.”
Naya tried not to conjure an image of the fire overtaking the area. Zack and his team were trained. If he was confident, then she should be. Still, she didn’t like being a sitting duck here. “Maybe we should find another way out.” Naya shielded her eyes with her hand and turned to the left. She kept her back flush against the wall of rock.
“Naya.” Zack swallowed. “I’m not going to let you down again.”
They both knew what he was referring to. Clearly, he still carried the pain of what had happened when they were teens. It was a weight she still bore too. If she let down her guard, there was no telling the outcome.
“We’ve all failed people. Lost those we cared about, Zack. It’s life.” Naya couldn’t hold on to a promise he made. Not when it could turn out to be empty. She’d be doing herself a favor, saving herself future heartache.
“I know.” Zack waved his hand. “I failed to protect my best friend—my little sis—once, but I’m not going to let that happen again.”
A tear slid down Naya’s cheek, and she swiped at it with the back of her hand. The quick movement sent pain coursing through her injured arm.
Again?
Of course he thought of her as his sister. But how could she hold out hope once more?
They’d been teens when Zack disappeared from her life. A time when she’d worked up the courage to trust someone again. And when her confidence in him backfired, she’d blamed him for the hurt he’d caused. His broken promise to always have her back had sent her teenage self into another spiral of distrust. He’d said those bracelets were a symbol of a never-ending friendship between them. Until she’d lost hers. Instead of finding it like he’d said he would, he’d up and left for good.
The one person she’d come to depend on.
Gone.
After so much loss of her own, how could she know who would stick around?
But now wasn’t the time to rehash the past. They needed to get to safety.
She pulled in a breath and offered a smile. “If you help me, we can find a way out.”
Zack’s eyes narrowed. He leaned into his shoulder and spoke. “What’s the status on containing this fire? I’ve still got a patient down here.”
Naya’s stomach flopped at the frown on Zack’s face. She wanted to rely on him to get them out of this situation. But she had a feeling she’d need to resort to her own capabilities. It was nothing new. She’d be strong for herself again.
Zack shook his head and turned to her. “The crew is working to put it out, but it’s bigger than they realized. The engine just showed up—that’s our other crew.”
“So we’re stuck here until they give the go-ahead?” Naya rubbed her arm, careful not to press too hard and aggravate the injury.
Zack held up a finger before pressing it to his ear.
She didn’t want to jump to conclusions and think about the worst-case scenario. So often people showed her they didn’t have her best interests at heart; they had their own and no one else’s. Growing up in foster care had taught her it was easier to rely on herself than others. And she’d only found that more true after she’d aged out of the system and started navigating life on her own.
Except she couldn’t do anything right now.
“They want to call in a rescue copter, but based on the altitude and how low they need to get, it’s only going to fan the flames of the fire. But I have an idea.” Zack bent down and stuck his head over the edge.
“Please don’t fall.” Naya grabbed the middle of his rope in an effort to keep him from tumbling.
Zack stood up and brushed his hands. “There’s another ledge below this one that leads into a cave that brings you out at the other side of the mountain.”
“And you know this how?” Naya squinted.
“My buddy showed me one time when we were hiking. I had a feeling we were near the area, I just needed to orient myself to the surroundings.” He tugged on his rope. “There’s enough extra line here that we can climb over the edge and drop down onto the landing.”
Naya gulped. Their options were limited, and she really didn’t like being stuck on the mountain.
Could she trust Zack though? He hadn’t left her alone. That had to count for something.
What other choice did she have?
“You’re the expert.” She shook her head. She wasn’t sure she could fully trust Zack. But she did trust the Lord. He would never abandon her. And He’d brought Zack and the crew here. With no other escape routes at the moment, she’d follow his lead.
His face sobered. “I’ll go first. Make sure it’s safe. Then I’ll help you down.”
“We’ve found an alternate escape route through a cave, Lieutenant. Permission to go?” Zack radioed in.
“I gave you my orders, Stephens.”
Zack turned to Naya, then held down on the radio button. “Our patient needs medical attention, and we’re sitting ducks. The cave is three feet below us. We can rappel down. Our job is to rescue people.”
“What are you trying to prove, Stephens?”
Zack steeled his jaw, and his neck muscle twitched. “That we help the people we’ve sworn to protect.” Zack tugged on his harness, then disappeared over the edge.
Naya held her breath. Every second ticked by with the unknown. Was the cave there? Or was it a dead end?
A few minutes later Zack called out, “It’s here! We’re going to make it out. Attach your clip to the rope.” Zack gave her instructions to harness herself in.
Let this work, Lord. Keep us safe. Naya tugged on the rope, then averted her gaze from the vast openness around her and focused on Zack’s hand.
He reached out to her.
In that moment, it seemed like everything she’d been looking for.
She grabbed hold, then swung her leg over the edge. When she went to move her injured foot, it slipped on loose pebbles and dangled in the air.
Naya let out a yelp, her heart skipping a beat.
“I’ve got you!” Zack shouted. “Let yourself drop down.”
Naya pinched her eyes shut to keep from making a snarky comment about the last time she’d fallen.
Soon her feet were on solid ground again, and she let out the breath she was holding.
“It’s just through here.” Zack pointed to the dark opening in front of them. The tunnel was small and damp. Each step they took echoed off the walls followed by an irregular trickle of water dripping.
Naya followed Zack, who guided the way with his flashlight. What if they were wrong and this wasn’t a way out? They’d been moving for a while, and all the walking was making the pressure on her ankle unbearable. She slowed her pace to favor her good leg and put extra weight on the heel of her foot.
“You need help?” Zack shone the light at the ground. “I can give you a piggyback ride.”
Naya laughed. “The last time I agreed to one, I remember tumbling off your shoulders.” She’d been twelve at the time, and the two of them had been off on an adventure. “We were pretending to take flight like a plane. Except we didn’t make it very far down our imaginary runway in the backyard of my foster home.” Instead, they’d been all giggles, growing weak from laughter.
Zack grinned. “You’re not wrong. But I am taller and buffer now.” He placed his hands on his hips.
“I’ll be fine.” Naya smiled and continued walking. It might have only been half true that she would be okay, but she wasn’t about to resurrect more memories, no matter how good that one might have been. If she did, she would want to rely on him more. Spend more time with him.
She needed Zack the firefighter.
The boy she had loved, who’d grown into a man, would be a distraction she didn’t need.
They emerged in the clearing that opened up at the trail head. Zack radioed in their location. A few minutes later, flashing lights and medical personnel greeted them.
Ingram rushed to Naya and enveloped her in a hug. “Ow. Watch the arm,” Naya hissed.
“Sorry.” Ingram stepped back. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“We’re going to take it from here,” a woman with short blonde hair in a medic jacket said. The embroidery on her pocket read Kianna.
Naya scanned the area for Zack. Their eyes connected. Thank you , she mouthed. Then the ambulance doors shut.
After being at the hospital for an hour, Naya still sat on a cot in the ER. She’d already been stuck and prodded. Now it was a matter of waiting on the X-ray results for her arm and ankle. Her mind ran through the events of the last few hours. A reel stuck on replay with a broken pause button.
She couldn’t shake the interaction with the other jogger that instigated this whole event. The way he’d barreled right into her. Like he’d intended to push her.
Naya’s palms grew clammy. She’d told Kianna what happened when she’d asked on the ride over to the hospital. But she hadn’t yet been able to inform the police. Would they even believe her suspicions?
At first, Naya had wanted to give the person the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he hadn’t seen or heard her. Although, had it actually been a male? She’d never gotten a good look at the person’s face. The strength of their push on her shoulders had sure seemed like a guy. What had started as a mere run-in had turned into an intentional attack. Naya had no time to even defend herself. One moment she’d been bending over, and the next she’d been falling through the air.
“I’ve got some good news.”
Naya jerked at the voice and gripped the scratchy bed sheets.
Dr. Welch walked in with a laptop propped in one arm. His gray hair was slicked back with gel, and he wore a white lab coat over a button-down shirt. “Your ankle is bruised but not broken. Keep it elevated. Ice it until the swelling and pain decrease.” He typed some notes with one hand. “Any questions on that?”
“Not that I can think of,” Naya said.
“Great. Now the bad news. Your elbow is severely sprained. We’ll put it in a sling until the swelling goes down. The goal is to prevent surgery. So keep it elevated and don’t do any strenuous activity that could aggravate the muscles.”
Naya cradled her arm against her front. She wished today had a redo. But when had wishing done her any good? She dealt in facts, like this doctor.
At least it wasn’t her writing hand. She could do voice to text on her computer. And given the whole incident, her injuries could have been much worse. There was always a way it could’ve been worse. Indeed, the Lord had spared her life.
One of the nurses, Charlotte, came in and gave Naya her purse, which was sealed in a plastic hospital bag. Then she set Naya’s arm in a sling, and an hour later, Naya was handed her discharge papers.
She walked back out to the ER waiting room. Several first responders sat along the wall, still in full turnout gear.
The other firefighter. Naya’s breath hitched. Was he okay?
She spotted Zack and walked over. “Any word on Ridge?” Naya’s voice rang in the quiet space.
Zack clenched his hand. “They got the bleeding to stop and stabilized him. We took the truck back to the firehouse, and the reserve crew came in to cover us, since Ridge is out. They said they’d let us know when he’s settled in a room.”
“Oh good.” She sighed. “Can I talk to you?” Naya motioned with her eyes to the exit doors. She had to tell someone about what happened, and with their history, Zack had to be the right person. They’d been closer today than she had been with anyone in years—even her ex-boyfriend.
Zack cocked his head but still followed her outside to a bench by the entrance of the hospital. The pain meds they’d given her helped ease the tightness in her foot, but she propped it up on the arm rest.
“Thank you for today.” Naya peered up at Zack, who stood against the brick wall. Part of her wanted him to sit next to her. To continue the lighthearted comradery from earlier, like they were friends. But his distance was for the best. It reminded her heart to do the same. No more wishful thinking.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“About that.” She could barely get the words out. “I think someone intentionally pushed me off the mountain today.”
Zack’s voice rose a notch. “What do you mean you think ?”
Naya grimaced. “I thought the person jogging just didn’t see me. They had their head to the ground, phone in hand. But when they brushed me, my phone fell. I—” The images came back, and Naya frowned. “I went to pick up my phone and they shoved me.”
“You were pushed?”
She opened her eyes. “I didn’t know who to tell.”
“This is serious, Nay. First the note. Now this.” Zack rubbed a hand over the back of his head. “You need to tell the police, not me.”
Naya shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not like I have any evidence it was malicious. It’s like the note. Just a nuisance.”
Zack stepped away from the wall and closed the gap between them. “I meant what I said earlier. You’re my little sis.”
Right. It was a good thing she planned to keep her heart protected. Closed off.
Saying it like that drew a line between them.
One she wasn’t invited to step over.
A flicker of an expression crossed his face, but it disappeared before Naya could figure it out. “Call the police, Naya.” Zack pushed off the wall and went inside.